| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080273093 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE SENSING DEVICE AND IMAGE SENSING SYSTEM - A solid-state image sensing device comprises a first readout circuit configured to read out a signal from a pixel array including a plurality of pixels, a signal holding unit configured to hold the signal read out from the first readout circuit, a second readout circuit configured to read out the signal held in the signal holding unit, and a current control unit configured to control an electric current flowing through at least part of the first readout circuit while the first readout circuit reads out the signal. The current control unit controls an electric current flowing through the at least part of the first readout circuit in a moving image capturing mode to be smaller than an electric current flowing through the at least part of the first readout circuit in a still image capturing mode. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20090033781 | IMAGE SENSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE CAPTURING SYSTEM - An image sensing apparatus comprises a pixel and a driving unit, wherein the driving unit includes a buffer circuit including a first PMOS transistor and a first NMOS transistor, and letting V | 02-05-2009 |
| 20090104729 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE SENSOR AND IMAGING SYSTEM - At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a solid state image sensor including at least one antireflective layer and/or non rectangular shaped wiring layer cross section to reduce dark currents and 1/f noise. | 04-23-2009 |
| 20090109314 | SOLID STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND CAMERA - A solid state image pickup device which can prevent color mixture by using a layout of a capacitor region provided separately from a floating diffusion region and a camera using such a device are provided. A photodiode region is a rectangular region including a photodiode. A capacitor region includes a carrier holding unit and is arranged on one side of the rectangle of the photodiode region as a region having a side longer than the one side. In a MOS unit region, an output unit region including an output unit having a side longer than the other side which crosses the one side of the rectangle of the photodiode region is arranged on the other side. A gate region and the FD region are arranged between the photodiode region and the capacitor region. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090147117 | PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICE AND IMAGING SYSTEM - A photoelectric conversion device includes a pixel array in which a plurality of pixels including a photoelectric conversion unit are arrayed, a first storage unit and second storage unit which store pixel signals read out from the pixel array, a first read switch which reads out the pixel signal stored in the first storage unit to a first common signal line, a second read switch which reads out the pixel signal stored in the second storage unit to a second common signal line, and a third read switch which has an input terminal electrically connected to the output terminal of the second storage unit, and an output terminal electrically connected to the output terminal of the first read switch, and reads out the pixel signal stored in the second storage unit to the first common signal line. | 06-11-2009 |
| 20090159945 | IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS AND IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM - To provide a solid-state image pickup apparatus with little or no difference in the dark currents between adjacent photoelectric conversion elements and providing a high sensitivity and a low dark current even in a high-speed readout operation. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090201406 | SOLID STATE IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS AND IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM - The invention is to reduce a color mixing resulting from influences of adjacent pixels. The invention provides a solid-state image pickup apparatus including plural pixels each including a PN junction area constituting a photoelectric conversion area, a floating diffusion area for holding a charge outputted from the PN junction area, an amplifying transistor for amplifying the charge in the floating diffusion area, and a wiring for connecting at least the floating diffusion area, a gate electrode of the amplifying transistor and a resetting MOS transistor, and a signal output line for outputting signals from the amplifying transistors, the apparatus including shield lines between the wiring of one pixel or the floating diffusion area and the wiring of one pixel and the signal output line of another adjacent pixel. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090213260 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND CAMERA - An object of the invention is to cause a part of charge spilling from a photoelectric conversion unit to flow into a charge holding unit and thereby extend dynamic range and at the same time improve image quality. There is provided a solid-state image pickup device having a pixel including: a photoelectric conversion unit generating and accumulating charge by means of photoelectric conversion; a first charge holding unit being shielded from light, and being adaptable to accumulate a part of charge spilling from the photoelectric conversion unit in a period during which the photoelectric conversion unit generates and accumulates charge; an amplifying unit (SF-MOS) amplifying charge; a first transfer unit (Tx-MOS) transferring the charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit to the amplifying unit; and a second transfer unit (Ty-MOS) transferring the charge accumulated in the first charge holding unit to the amplifying unit. | 08-27-2009 |
| 20090218477 | IMAGE SENSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE SENSING SYSTEM - An image sensing apparatus having a pixel array with a plurality of pixels, comprises an amplification unit, wherein the amplification unit amplifies a difference-voltage between a voltage level input corresponding to signals output from the pixel array and a reference voltage level, outputs a non-inverted output signal to a first output signal line, and outputs an inverted output signal to a second output signal line and a switch short-circuiting the first output signal line and the second output signal line in response to a reset signal. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20100007760 | PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION APPARATUS AND IMAGING SYSTEM - A photoelectric conversion apparatus comprises: a plurality of pixels; a signal line; a holding block; an output unit; and a control unit, wherein the control unit selectively operates the holding block in a first mode or a second mode, the first mode being a mode in which a first signal is held in a first holding unit and then transferred from the first holding unit to a second holding unit via a first impedance conversion unit, and in which a second signal is held in a third holding unit and then transferred from the third holding unit to a fourth holding unit via a second impedance conversion unit, and the second mode being a mode in which the first signal is transferred to the second holding unit via the first impedance conversion unit and the second signal is transferred to the fourth holding unit via the first impedance conversion unit. | 01-14-2010 |
| 20100053396 | IMAGE SENSING DEVICE AND IMAGING SYSTEM - An image sensing device comprises: a pixel array in which a plurality of pixels are arrayed; and a plurality of column amplification units that amplify a plurality of signals that are output in parallel from the pixel array, wherein each of the column amplification units includes: a differential amplifier including an amplification unit and a constant current circuit, the amplification unit amplifying a signal that is output from the pixels and outputting the signal to an output node, the constant current circuit being arranged between the amplification unit and a ground terminal and supplying a current to the amplification unit; and a clip unit that clips a voltage of the output node when the differential amplifier amplifies the signal and thereby clipping a voltage of a connection node connecting the amplification unit to the constant current circuit in the differential amplifier. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100060759 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - The present invention is a solid-state imaging apparatus having a plurality of signal accumulating units for accumulating signals from a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element, a common signal transferring unit for transferring a signal outputted from the signal accumulating unit, a plurality of reset units for resetting a potential of a signal path of the common signal transferring unit, a horizontal scanning unit for outputting, to the common signal transferring unit, the signal accumulated in the plurality of signal accumulating units, and a plurality of reset controlling units for controlling the reset units, wherein the horizontal scanning unit includes a plurality of horizontal scanning blocks, an operation of the horizontal scanning unit is controlled by a reference pulse supplied to the horizontal scanning block, and the reset controlling unit is arranged in the horizontal scanning block. | 03-11-2010 |
| 20100182465 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - A solid-state imaging apparatus wherein an FD capacitor value is variable without increasing the number of elements. There is provided a solid-state imaging apparatus including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, for generating an electric charge by photoelectric conversion; a plurality of transfer transistors each connected to each of the photoelectric conversion elements, for transferring the electric charge generated by the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements; a plurality of floating diffusion regions for holding the electric charge transferred by the transfer transistors; a plurality of amplifiers each connected to each of the floating diffusion regions, for amplifying a signal based on the electric charge in the plurality of floating diffusion regions; and a connecting unit for connecting and disconnecting between the plurality of floating diffusion regions. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20100221864 | SOLID-STATE IMAGE SENSOR AND IMAGING SYSTEM - At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a solid state image sensor including at least one antireflective layer and/or non rectangular shaped wiring layer cross section to reduce dark currents and 1/f noise. | 09-02-2010 |
| 20110037884 | PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICE AND IMAGE PICKUP SYSTEM USING THE PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION DEVICE - It is a principle object of the present invention to reduce a voltage drop of a common power supply wiring in a plurality of amplification circuits to suppress crosstalk generated in other signal output lines. A photoelectric conversion device includes: a plurality of pixels each having a photoelectric conversion area; a plurality of signal output lines through which electrical signals are to be read out from the plurality of pixels; and a plurality of amplification circuits provided in correspondence to the plurality of signal output lines for amplifying the electrical signals, respectively, the plurality of amplification circuits including at least one constant current circuit portion and being disposed in a predetermined direction of repetitive dispersion, in which a constant current circuit portion includes at least a source grounded field effect transistor (the gate electrode is designated by reference symbol | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110074993 | IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE, ITS CONTROL METHOD, AND CAMERA - An image pickup device, wherein a part of the carriers overflowing from the photoelectric conversion unit for a period of photoelectrically generating and accumulating the carriers may be flowed into the floating diffusion region, and a pixel signal generating unit generating a pixel signal according to the carriers stored in the photoelectric conversion unit and the carriers having overflowed into the floating diffusion region, is provided. The expansion of a dynamic range and the improvement of an image quality can be provided by controlling a ratio of the carriers flowing into the floating diffusion region to the carriers overflowing from such a photoelectric conversion unit at high accuracy. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110102654 | IMAGE CAPTURE DEVICE HAVING AMPLIFICATION CIRCUIT FOR AMPLIFYING SIGNAL FROM PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION PORTION - An image capture device includes a plurality of image capture elements for capturing an object image, a plurality of vertical output lines for reading signals out of the plurality of image capture elements, and a plurality of processing circuits. Each processing circuit includes a first capacitor element having a first electrode connected to one of the plurality of vertical output lines, a differential amplifier having a first input terminal connected to a second electrode of the first capacitor element, a second capacitor element connected between the first input terminal and an output terminal of the differential amplifier, and a first switch configured to control conduction between the first input terminal and the output terminal of the differential amplifier. The image capture device further includes a plurality of third capacitor elements configured to hold signals from the differential amplifiers of the plurality of processing circuits and to limit an output frequency band of each differential amplifier, and a horizontal output line for sequentially outputting signals from the plurality of third capacitor elements. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110157398 | SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS - A solid-state imaging apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that a reset gate voltage VresH to be applied to a gate of a reset MOS transistor is lower than a power supply voltage SVDD of a power supply to which drains of an amplifying MOS transistor and the reset MOS transistor are connected. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110157441 | SOLID STATE IMAGE PICKUP DEVICE AND CAMERA - An solid state image pickup device including a plurality of photoelectric conversion regions (PD | 06-30-2011 |
